Best Tackdriving .22?

[Rembrandt]

The head of a tack is about 1/4"......what distance you place it might define which rifle can do the job. Any number of rifles are capable at 25 or 50 yards.......that number dwindles at 100 yards.

There is only one rifle by which "all .22 bolt actions" have been measured against for nearly 90 years, the Winchester model 52. Herbert Houze aptly described it as Perfection in Design in his book on 52's. I've never heard of a bad shooting 52.....ever.

Anshutz, Kimber, and Cooper would also fall into the elite 100 yard club. Money buys accuracy....if you want a tack driver spend the bucks and get a good one.

52's came in several configurations, Sporters and target versions.

 

[Olympus]

Bruce...

Thanks for the pictures of your BV! I did an image search on Google for pictures of the BV and found quite a few. Stock looks good and I wouldn't mind it, however, I have a Remington 700 VLS that is the exact same color. That's another reason why I'm planning on doing a custom stock. I like the color but it's just kind of average for me. I saved the Sharp Shooter Supply website to my favorites so I'll peruse there for some things.

I used a Richards for my Mauser conversion and I am less than impressed with their company. They have absolutely horrible customer service. 75% of the time that you call the number (during business hours) nobody answers the phone. It's about 50/50 on whether or not they call you back if you leave a message. It took almost 11 weeks for them to ship me my stock. And when they did ship it, they shipped me someone else's stock as well. It even had the other guy's invoice in the package with a competely different state. I don't recommend them to anyone unless they're looking for headaches.

 

[Geno]

Rembrandt:

Do the Winchester Model 52s have a threaded barrel-to-receiver, or are the barrels pressed and pinned to the receiver? I saw a model 52 at a local gun store, and while I have heard that they are excellent rifles, the dealer was not able to advise as to the rifle's construction.

Doc2005

 

[DPStx]

Threaded???

All variants of the 52 had threaded barrel/receiver interfaces, per engineering drawings in the Houze book.

DPS

 

[Geno]

Thanks for the Info DPS.

Wow, how cool! The Model 52 that I found was listed at $750.00, and was recently reblued. I have no idea of the value of a 1952 model 52. It was nice, and I especially liked the locking system of it. To call it a sturdy barreled action is an understatement. The barreled action made even my Kimber Gov't Model 82 look light a lightweight.

 

[DPStx]

My 52C match rifle impressed me so much, I wouldn't settle for any less than a 52 for a sporting rifle, so I sold my Marlin 781 and went looking. found an already modified very early 52 on Auctionarms that I got for $225. I replaced the stock and did alot of modifications to the bolt and such, but it still has the all the original receiver, bolt and barrel (shortened to 22") Shoots 3/8" groups at 100yds with top notch ammo. Love the 52!!

DPS

 

[SpeedAKL]

I have a Savage Mk.II BV. Laminated stock, heavy barrel, Accu-Trigger, and Simmons 3-9x scope out the door for $220 at a sale at Dicks. Incredible accurate, and very fun too!

 

[Olympus]

I'm bringing this thread back to life. I still have yet to make my decision. I was originally going to go with the CZ varmint and still might. But I've decided to pool a little of my cash so my budget has grown. I've got roughly $1000 that I can spend on this project now. But as I've been looking, I've noticed there is a HUGE gap in the pricing. You can get a CZ for around $350 then it jumps up to Annie's and Coopers for well over $1000! I can't find any middle ground there. I can't seem to find anything in like the $600 or $700 range. What's up with that? Am I passing over something that I just haven't discovered yet?

 

[Highland Ranger]

Great thread and posts - for other opinions, there is a forum dedicated to rimfires - - http://www.rimfirecentral.com/

 

[Olympus]

I'm already on there too!

 

[hksw]

Since you now have more funding, the Anschütz 64 MPR (as mentioned above) or new 64 SBR. (I'm guessing you will be shooting off of a bench as these guns are relatively heavy and bulky for carrying around.) They are still well below $1K.

Click on Anschütz then Anschütz Target Rifles.
https://www.championshooters.com/index-ssl.html

 

[flyboy1788]

i bought a marlin .22 bolt gun that will shoot 1/2 in groups a 50 yards all day

 

[onebigelf]

I've shot a 10/22 (highly customized) that could do 1/2" at 50 yds. My Savage bolt (MK2) will do it as will any number of other MK2's I've shot. So will my girlfriend's cheap $100 surplus Romanian training rifle!

John

 

[Brad Clodfelter]

I don't come around here that often, but I seen this thread and I'll add my opinion for what it's worth.

It's just simply hard to out shoot a good shooting Suhl 150 barreled action whether it being in the original factory stock or dropped in a benchrest stock like the one I bought. The Suhl 150 and Suhl 150-1 guns are tack drivers. Also, the Suhl triggers can go down to 2oz, and you don't have to have trigger work done or after market triggers installed.

Here's a few at 25yds where wind doesn't play as much of a factor and you can really see the accuarcy potential of a rimfire barrel. That first group measured .021ctc. It was 21 thousandths from being perfect and all through the exact same hole.

I think I over measured this one, but it's still a good one.

 

[Olympus]

Never heard of a Suhl but I'll do some checking.

I'm really hurting here on what to do. I kills me to be so torn between things. I can't seem to make a decision on which one to go with. Should I go the cheaper route and do the CZ 452 Varmint or go all out?

And even if I go all out, I can't decide which ones I like the most. I'd rather have a varmint type with a heavy barrel and beavertail forend. I like the Finnfire varmint but they're hard to find and I haven't heard much of it's accuracy. I like the Annie 64 mpr but I'm just not crazy about the stock. I don't really know...I'm so dang confused!:banghead:

 

[Brad Clodfelter]

Olympus,

If your wanting a 22lr soley for target shooting without having to do anything else to the gun like adding another barrel or trigger, it's just plain put hard to beat a Suhl. The Win 52D's and Rem 40X's are great shooting 22's. But they don't have the great trigger a Suhl does. A Suhl 150 or 150-1 which was the later model Suhl has no safety just so you know. They don't make Suhls anymore, so parts can be hard to come by. But I have yet had a part on my Suhl go bad. The gun I have was made in Nov of 1974, so I don't think you will have to worry too much about parts.

The Suhl 150 was an East German gun and had a date of origin from my sources as Dec 1973. I don't know when they quit making the Suhl 150, but my guess would be around mid 80's. The Suhl 150-1 came out after the Suhl 150. They made these until 1991 from my sources. The Suhl 150-1 shoots from what I have been told as good as the first version Suhl 150 models. They also have the same type factory trigger which can be adjusted down to 2oz as well I believe.

Here's a refinished Suhl 150-1 model on gunbroker that is priced pretty good. I'll bet money it will shoot holes. All Suhls are said to shoot exceptional unless someone messed the barrel up from improper cleaning.

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=114677790

 

[Brad Clodfelter]

Another good choice would be an older Anschutz modle 54 like a 1411 model. They had killer triggers as well, and they shot real well. Check on gun broker or gunsamerica and you should be able to locate one. Thad Scott also sells the annies. www.thadscott.com

I would want one in very good shape. Look to spend about $800 for a good one.

 

[Brad Clodfelter]

Here's a picture of an Anschutz 1411 model to give you a better idea of what type of rifle you want and the condition to look for. This one was for sell at RFC for $650, but I believe it has found a new buyer. It was priced right for the condition it was in. A very good price really.

 

[Brad Clodfelter]

Rembrandt mentioned the Win 52 above and shooting tacks at 100yd with a rimfire. He's right about the Win 52's being great shooters. They were definatley in the top 5 best factory rimfires ever made. I never shot a 52, but I have seen some of the groups from the guys that own them. They shoot real well. Speaking of hitting a tack at 100yds, here's a 5 shot group I shot on a near calm day without any windflags to boot. I think the Suhl will definately hit a tack at 100yd on calme days. This group Joe Haller measured at .375ctc. I only shot the Suhl at 100yds on two different occasions, but I think I could have improved on this one with more opportunities. The dime will very easily cover all 5 shots.

Here's another pretty good one that a dime will cover as well.

 

[ifit]

with all the .22 rifles to choose from, i decided on the cz452fs. heres a pic, and range results



from the factory



frist time at the range, my best 5 shot group top right. with a rest and scope

 

[mgkdrgn]

If you don't mind spending a whole lot less money ($175) ... I do believe the Mossberg M44US that the CMP is selling could take a run at this "tack driver" title. I've put about 100 rounds through mine using just the peep sights and am VERY pleased with the results.

I can't give it a true test as my visual acuity isn't what it use to be (ie, I can't even -see- the target at 100 yards, much less hit it!), but it's being tapped for a scope right now, and THEN we'll see! Even with my eyesight, I was getting groups at 50 yards about 1 - 1.5 inches across on that "fuzzy dot" I could see out there.

 

[Olympus]

Well a small hurdle for me is the fact that I've never used an online gun auction site. There's just something about not being able to see and handle something until after it's already mine makes me a little nervous, especially on used guns. I can't remember if I made the comment here or on rimfire, but my definition of 95% condition may not necessarily be someone else's. And as a general rule, I don't buy used firearms anyway. I've only ever bought one used gun and it was a pistol from a friend of mine so I knew how it had been handled and taken care of.

So for me, finding a dealer than can get me an Annie is pretty difficult. And I know they're great shooters, but they just look like they use cheap wood for their stocks. I'm not impressed with their looks at all. But what about the Weatherby Mark XXIIs? I've read that they use Annie actions and they have the same quality stocks as you can expect from Weatherby. I just haven't heard anyone talking about their accuracy....whether good or so-so.

I basically keep going back and forth and can't seem to decide on one model. I keep falling back to the CZ 452 varmint though. I've looked at a lot of pictures of them and some of them have really pretty wood and I haven't heard a single complaint about their accuracy. And since it's cheaper than an Annie then I could get the aftermarket trigger kits and have it all tuned for me. I don't know....just thinking out loud I guess.

 

[skinewmexico]

I don't know about 22s, but I made some guys with thousand dollar 10/22s mad by outshooting them with my $165 Savage FV93R17.

 

[Olympus]

I looked at the Savages as well...the first time in my life I seriously debated owning one! I knew as soon as I picked it up that it wasn't for me. Felt a little too light and the action felt cheap compared to the CZ I handled. I like the fact that you can get some custom stocks for the Savages easier than the CZs, but other than that, no other sellings points for the Savage.

 

[alexanderplatz]

I'm totally thrilled with my CZ 452, which I have scoped. I couldn't shoot 1/4" groups at 100 yards with anything, but I enjoy shooting at clay pigeons (they're biodegradable -- it's awesome) at 125 yards. With the 452 I can keep breaking up the shards into smaller and smaller bits. I will probably get a 452 American and transfer the scope to that, and go back to shooting the 452 with its iron sights.